Analysis: Fuel plan would simplify gas - GreenHybrid

Jason · #1 (**permalink**) 04-17-2005, 04:51 PM

Quote:

With gasoline prices predicted to peak near $3 a gallon this summer, an Illinois congressman is proposing the U.S. EPA scrap the 16 different blends mandated around the country for a single national fuel standard using ethanol... Kirk is a proponent of E85, a fuel that combines 15 percent gasoline with 85 percent ethanol, an alternative fuel derived from corn that reduces sulfur and hydrocarbons in exhaust emissions. Kirk also supports increasing fuel efficiency for cars and trucks and extending a federal tax credit for motorists who purchase hybrid vehicles.

Those are long-term approaches to saving fuel. Right now, Kirk says the federal government can move toward a single cleaner-burning fuel that would save consumers money.

- http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breakin...5639-7997r.htm

tbaleno · #2 (**permalink**) 04-17-2005, 04:58 PM

I bet it won't happen. I bet there will be other things in the bill that people will object to. And by people I mean the Oil lobby and the auto maunfacturers.

AZCivic · #3 (**permalink**) 04-17-2005, 07:07 PM

If gas was still $1.30/gallon, I'd agree that there's no chance anyone will care. However, now with the national average at $2.28/gal, prices over $2 in every state and topping $2.70/gal in parts of California with no sign of going anywhere but up, I think it will be very easy to get support. Oil refiners generally don't have any downside to this because it means they can sell gasoline anywhere in the US, not just certain markets. There's a few that have captive markets and get to charge unfairly high prices, and those individual refiners won't be happy about it, but who cares. The country would benefit from going to one standard gasoline coast to coast.

On a side note, the article states:

Quote:

Waits for a $21,000 Prius, which can get up to 55 miles per gallon, have fallen from six months to 60 to 90 days despite rising gas prices and the car's popularity. A $21,464 four-cylinder Honda Civic Hybrid gets about 48 miles per gallon and a six-cylinder Honda Accord Hybrid around 38 miles per gallon.

For the Prius and Civic, they quoted the average of the city and highway rating, but for the Accord, they actually quoted 1mpg above the highway rating, and 5mpg above their combined average. Minor error on their part.

Stevo12886 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-17-2005, 07:41 PM

Sounds like a good plan to me, and shows me a steady move towards ethonal fuel as the standard (i think its the stepping stone from petrolium to hydrogen or another source), though i really dont look forward to the hit in FE.

EricGo · #5 (**permalink**) 04-18-2005, 12:21 AM

The entire notion of using Ethanol as a fuel is not quite so clear cut as one might hope. This, btw, is different than using it as a doping agent instead of MTBE.

As I understand things, there are two gotchas:

1. High yield agriculture is driven by fertilizer, which is made from natural gas. So the gamut of problems associated with a fossil-fuel economy remain.

2. Energy required to convert crops into Ethanol make it an energy negative product, meaning you used more energy to make it, than you get back.

The Mid-west Agriculture lobby loves the idea, and promotes it heavily. But aside from Ethanol being a cash cow for agribusiness, it's other merits are debateable.